


The World was Wide Enough

by Queen_Bee0529



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 07:46:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20542592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_Bee0529/pseuds/Queen_Bee0529
Summary: There lies a world inside our own, right before our very eyes. Hidden in plain sight, one might say. Deep inside the lush forests of the northern continents, is not a treasure or fortune. The lost city of gold? No, rather, a huge tree.





	1. Prologue

“There lies a world inside our own, right before our very eyes. Hidden in plain sight, one might say. Deep inside the lush forests of the northern continents, is not a treasure or fortune. The lost city of gold? No, rather, a huge tree. 

“In the beginning, humans lived in harmony in a beautiful valley. One day, a man decided he wanted other people to do what he wanted. At the same time, a rumor spread that there was a powerful beast lurking in the forest. He decided that for his fellow humans to accept him as a ruler, he must slay the beast. 

“The man decided to dawn some armor and set off into the forest in the early hours of the morning. Unbeknownst to him, the whisper of a whisper would prove to change the course of history forever, 

“The first Arusian queen was beautiful. She was able to maintain the peace of her war-like people without the use of violence. For the next 500 years, she was known as the peace-maker queen. Her people decided to worship her as their god. She did not see herself as a higher power than them, so she declined the wishes of her people for the first time in millennia. Her daughter, however, wanted that power for herself. She knew about the human civilization on the other side of the forest. 

“One fateful night, she decided to find these humans to overthrow her mother. On her way to the human Kingdom, her body failed her. For she was so overcome with greed, she fell from the sky, unable to fly again. 

“ The man continued to prepare for his journey until the day it fell from the heavens. A creature, with claws like a cat, and deer-like ears and hooves. Glowing blue eyes pierced through the night, fell into the land of one of the inhabitants, specifically, the man who sought to kill her mother. The once brave human man was scared. The creature struggled to stand up after her fall. Moved with pity, the man approached her, and noting she was unconscious, carefully brought her inside, and using his basic medical knowledge, nursed her back to health. 

“The selfish Arusian used this to her advantage. She told the man, that the rumors were true, and that the powerful beast had taken over her land, and her crown. By then the man had fallen in love with the creature and vowed to help her kill the beast. 

“They journeyed together back through the forest, and into the land of the Arusians. Upon entering, the man knew something was wrong, by the way, the other Arusians scurried away from the couple in fear because they had never seen a human before. 

“Together, they entered the Palace, and into the room where the Good Queen sat on her throne. 

“ ‘How heartbreaking it is, that I was betrayed by my own daughter, for I know you want to kill me, to be worshiped among our good people? You have been soiled by greed, and disobeyed my direct orders to never interact with the human people. How can you be satisfied with yourself? To betray the love I have shown you? I will die soon. All my life I had trusted you to be my successor, to keep the peace of our people. What now? Our world will be corrupted by hate, because of your selfish behavior. Are you not to blame? ‘

“ ‘Before you kill me, I want you to think about the repercussions of your actions. How the people will view you as their ruler. As their God, will you deliver to their expectations, or does that no matter to you, daughter? Because if so, you will not have anyone to rely on.’ 

“Anger filled the daughter, and tears flowed down her cheeks. Upon seeing this, the man struck the Queen dead. On her word, the Selfish Princess became the powerful queen. 

“However, hope was not lost for the daughter. Her mother’s last words haunted her. She had loved her for all her life, and the least she could do was make something to remember her by. She took her mother’s body to the base of the palace. She then said a prayer, a spiritual poem, to the being that brought her people to life. Nobody knows what this prayer said, but in place of the body, a glorious tree was in place. 

“The tree stood high among the others and was over a mile to walk completely around the base. Bioluminescent mushrooms made for footholds and platforms for houses and shops, as well as grooves carved in the wood for roads. The palace was carried upwards with the tree and rests at the top of the trunk on a platform before it splits into the main branches. 

“The once selfish Queen still had some good in her heart, and ruled with a strict, but a kind fist. Nothing could change the sin she committed when she and her lover killed the Good Queen. She grieved and Grieved for her mother’s loss and soon was filled with love and joy again when her first children were born. All was not well, however. When the Human Man found out, he was filled with anger, for the Queen had tricked him into killing her mother, and he had not received what he wanted in return. 

“The Queen had given birth to twins, but the Man did not know this. He snuck into the palace one night after the people had retired to bed. The Queen received word from a guard and quickly hid one in a chest of drawers, and the other twin in the washing bin. She then hid in the wardrobe, knowing she may as well already be dead. 

“The man searched the room, and unfortunately, the baby in the washing bin started crying and fussing. He did not hesitate to kill the baby, and it’s mother, the Queen, afterward. When the man realized what he had done, taking the life of his former lover and own child devastated him so much, he took his own life. “

“But Mommy, how do you know this story?” A small voice asked.

“Because sweet, I was the baby who survived.” 


	2. First Meeting

“Kida! Kida wake up!” Runann attempted to shake her awake. 

“Go away. Now.” Kida grumbled and pulled her fur blankets closer to her. 

“If I don’t get you up, then Axca will,” Runann warned, “And you know how that ended last time.”

Kida sighed as she sat up, remembering the dislocated shoulder and broken glass. 

“This better be good, brother.”

Runann left her room, and Kida got dressed in a deerskin dress, decorated with turquoise beads, as well as some golden armbands that her handmaid insists she wears. She also put on some golden open boots, making sure that they were fastened properly around her legs this time. 

Kida walked over to her mirror and vanity, and her maids quickly fixed her long green hair into two braids cascading down her back, in between her wings. They were decorated with golden beads and clips, to match her shoes. When she was deemed ready, she hurried out the door, and down the polished floor of the palace to where the Queen and her brother were waiting. 

When she neared the throne room, Kida stopped and caught her breath. She suddenly wondered what could be so Important, that the Queen request her presence?  _ Nothing ever happens here _ , she thought. She pushed open the doors and was immediately greeted with hushed whispers. 

Kida elegantly strode over to where her brother and Queen Axca were sitting on their thrones. She took up her seat to the right of the Queen, and waved to the minister sitting on the couch to the left of Runann. 

“Bring in the Trespasser.” Queen Axca’s voice sounded throughout the great room. 

In a few painstakingly long moments of anticipation, the captured was kneeled before the royal family. 

“A human?” Kida exclaimed. 

“He claims that he was out here in the woods mapping out the terrain for a... company... that wants the land," Axca explained. "Although he, himself, means no harm, this... company can not find out about this." 

Kida looked down and saw the fear in this man's eyes. "He won’t do any harm to us, but if he was sent back, then he would tell the other humans about us. If we kept him here, then the other humans would come looking for him." She reasoned. 

"Perhaps we should just stage the murder of him," Runann suggested, “The other humans wouldn't question it. There are plenty of ways to die in a forest." 

It occurred to Kida that the man did not speak their language. Kida shuddered. There really was no other obvious option. She knew that she didn’t have the guts to do the deed herself, and couldn't imagine how the other humans would feel about having one of their own was found dead. 

"May I be excused?" Kida didn't wait for an answer. She turned and walked out, flaring her wings behind her. 

Kida was one of the few Arusians that had wings after the death of the second coming Queen. Axca had lost her wings in a battle against a giant’s poison, soon after she had married Runann. Even he wasn’t born with wings. 

As soon as Kida was back in her room, she grabbed her bow, some crystal arrows, and a belt pouch. Inside was a flask of water, bread, and twine. She fastened a small knife to her belt as well.  _ Just in case.  _ She told herself. 

She walked through the castle to the library, up the ladder to that one shelf, onto the top of the shelf, and through the small trapdoor in the wall. Climbed up yet another ladder inside the palace walls, and ended up on the roof of the palace. 

_ Nobody comes up here anyways.  _ Kida walked over to the center, and to the carvings under her feet. She took the knife, and added another tally mark to the collection there.  _ Another one for when I need to think.  _ 51 marks, each for when the Princess wanted to escape the pressures of being royal.  _ I wasn’t born royalty. Why should I care about what happens to the human?” _ __   
  


She walked back over to the edge, and stood upon it. She looked behind and around her, and made sure her belt and bow were securely fastened. She looked out to the tops of the trees in front of her, and then down to the vast village towns below her, took a breath, and dove off the edge.  _ My favorite part.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to follow me on Tumblr and Instagram at: ShidnehMoose


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